Policies

Intermediary Liability

The Internet has flourished in part because Internet platforms permit users to post and share information without fear that those platforms will be held liable for third-party content. The threat of liability can transform ISPs and websites into gatekeepers and enforcement agents, incentivizing them to block user generated content, even if legal – making the web less free, innovative, and collaborative. Consequently, the Internet Association supports the federal policy codified in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and Section 512 of the Copyright Act, which explicitly protects against liability for content posted by third party users.

Patents

Companies and individuals use the Internet to create valuable new, dynamic products and services that employ thousands of people, increase productivity, enable instant communications, and entertain the world. High quality patents promote innovation and encourage inventors to invest in the development of new, useful products. Low quality patents, on the other hand, stifle innovation by creating business uncertainty and opening the door to wasteful litigation.

Net Neutrality

Since its inception, the Internet has been governed by principles of openness and non-discrimination. Net neutrality is the legal principle that underpins the free and open Internet as we know it today. Simply put, it means that broadband gatekeepers – Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and other Internet service providers (ISPs) – should treat all Internet traffic equally and not discriminate between different bits of data. That’s how the Internet works today: users can go to any website and access any type of content, whenever they want.

Trade

The continued growth of the Internet as a global medium for innovation, trade, and commerce is made possible by laws that preserve the vitality of an open and consumer-oriented Internet environment. We support trade policies that promote the free flow of information across borders consistent with the global nature of the Internet. Strong intellectual property policies, limitations and immunities for online intermediaries, and the free flow of cross-border data facilitate a vast market for consumer goods and services at home and abroad.